48 Sticks of Butter
A few days back I mentioned that I've been working on a big project. That big project is, well, me.
As cliche' as it sounds, I decided that beginning January 1, 2009, I was going to make a lot more effort to take better care of myself and get healthier. For the month of January, I was pretty much immersed in figuring out what works for me (and what doesn't) as far as food, water, exercise, sleep, etc.
Things have not gone perfectly. Sometimes, cravings have gotten the best of me, and truth be told, I've made excuses a time or too as well. (I'm too tired to exercise...I don't have time to cook that.) But, overall, I have had a good month.
I've pulled out all the stops. Many of the tips and tricks I've heard about over the decades has been applied as needed:
* I have a list of all the reasons I want to be healthier, and it's posted by the bathroom mirrors and on the fridge.
* I'm drinking lots of water. My soda intake has plummeted.
* I change up the exercise routine often, so I don't get bored or overly sore.
* I've found friends online to support my efforts and help me to not be so hard on myself when I mess up.
* I make big bowls of salad, fresh fruits and veggies, etc., so that they are ready at a moment's notice.
* I asked hubby to keep some of my favorite treats out of sight. (I know there are snickers in the house, but since I can't just open the cabinet and get one....)
* I listen to some motivational weight loss tapes before bedtime.
* I'm buying things I like, in healthier versions, and making healthy changes to some recipes.
* I'm planning my meals, but allowing for some flexibility too.
* I'm focusing more on exercise to get healthy than anything else, because that is my weakest point. I am exercising a LOT more than I did before.
* I'm going to bed earlier, especially on the nights when hubby works. More rest really makes a difference for me.
* I'm making sure I get plenty of protein every day, more vegetables, fruits and whole grains, fewer simple starches and sugars.
The nice thing (or the pathetic thing, depending on how you look at it) is that I didn't have to go out and buy a lot of stuff. I already have all these exercise tapes, weights, the motivational tapes, protein drinks, decent shoes, etc. etc. etc., because I've tried to do this before. My one purchase was an insulated water bottle for around the house that holds 32 oz. It was less than $3. And the one thing that really doesn't serve me anymore is a Richard Simmons "Sweatin' to the Oldies" from 1984. The newer one I have (thanks, Mom!) is fine, but the old one is just too, too strange.
But the really nice thing? As of the first of February, I've lost 12 pounds. I started doing this really goofy thing a few years back, thus the title of this post. Whenever I lose some weight, the next time I'm in a grocery store I go over to the dairy section and put butter in my cart, equal to the amount of weight I've lost. So, this month's butter is 12 pounds - 4 sticks in a box, so 48 sticks of butter.
That's a lot of butter.
I still have a lot of butter visualization in front of me. If you are on a similar journey, you know that a person who can lose 12 pounds in a month (and isn't doing anything crazy) has a lot of weight to lose. But at least I'm on my way.
I don't want to turn this into a weight loss blog, because I think that's pretty boring for most people to read. I will check in with y'all each month and let you know how I'm doing, butter wise. Other than that, now that I have a lot of strategies in place, I hope to get back to blogging more regularly. Exercise takes time, and so does some of the planning and preparation, but I think I have things a little more organized now, so I plan to blog more often as well.
I hope I didn't lose everyone when my posting was so sporadic. (Hi, Mom!) And I hope everyone is doing well. Along the way I've found a couple of really great recipes I want to share with y'all - they are not diet, just healthy, and really tasty! And we're thinking about the garden these days, and considering trying out the incubator....so there are more interesting things coming soon!
Hugs and thanks,
-Laura
As cliche' as it sounds, I decided that beginning January 1, 2009, I was going to make a lot more effort to take better care of myself and get healthier. For the month of January, I was pretty much immersed in figuring out what works for me (and what doesn't) as far as food, water, exercise, sleep, etc.
Things have not gone perfectly. Sometimes, cravings have gotten the best of me, and truth be told, I've made excuses a time or too as well. (I'm too tired to exercise...I don't have time to cook that.) But, overall, I have had a good month.
I've pulled out all the stops. Many of the tips and tricks I've heard about over the decades has been applied as needed:
* I have a list of all the reasons I want to be healthier, and it's posted by the bathroom mirrors and on the fridge.
* I'm drinking lots of water. My soda intake has plummeted.
* I change up the exercise routine often, so I don't get bored or overly sore.
* I've found friends online to support my efforts and help me to not be so hard on myself when I mess up.
* I make big bowls of salad, fresh fruits and veggies, etc., so that they are ready at a moment's notice.
* I asked hubby to keep some of my favorite treats out of sight. (I know there are snickers in the house, but since I can't just open the cabinet and get one....)
* I listen to some motivational weight loss tapes before bedtime.
* I'm buying things I like, in healthier versions, and making healthy changes to some recipes.
* I'm planning my meals, but allowing for some flexibility too.
* I'm focusing more on exercise to get healthy than anything else, because that is my weakest point. I am exercising a LOT more than I did before.
* I'm going to bed earlier, especially on the nights when hubby works. More rest really makes a difference for me.
* I'm making sure I get plenty of protein every day, more vegetables, fruits and whole grains, fewer simple starches and sugars.
The nice thing (or the pathetic thing, depending on how you look at it) is that I didn't have to go out and buy a lot of stuff. I already have all these exercise tapes, weights, the motivational tapes, protein drinks, decent shoes, etc. etc. etc., because I've tried to do this before. My one purchase was an insulated water bottle for around the house that holds 32 oz. It was less than $3. And the one thing that really doesn't serve me anymore is a Richard Simmons "Sweatin' to the Oldies" from 1984. The newer one I have (thanks, Mom!) is fine, but the old one is just too, too strange.
But the really nice thing? As of the first of February, I've lost 12 pounds. I started doing this really goofy thing a few years back, thus the title of this post. Whenever I lose some weight, the next time I'm in a grocery store I go over to the dairy section and put butter in my cart, equal to the amount of weight I've lost. So, this month's butter is 12 pounds - 4 sticks in a box, so 48 sticks of butter.
That's a lot of butter.
I still have a lot of butter visualization in front of me. If you are on a similar journey, you know that a person who can lose 12 pounds in a month (and isn't doing anything crazy) has a lot of weight to lose. But at least I'm on my way.
I don't want to turn this into a weight loss blog, because I think that's pretty boring for most people to read. I will check in with y'all each month and let you know how I'm doing, butter wise. Other than that, now that I have a lot of strategies in place, I hope to get back to blogging more regularly. Exercise takes time, and so does some of the planning and preparation, but I think I have things a little more organized now, so I plan to blog more often as well.
I hope I didn't lose everyone when my posting was so sporadic. (Hi, Mom!) And I hope everyone is doing well. Along the way I've found a couple of really great recipes I want to share with y'all - they are not diet, just healthy, and really tasty! And we're thinking about the garden these days, and considering trying out the incubator....so there are more interesting things coming soon!
Hugs and thanks,
-Laura
Comments
and i'm so glad you are back, i've missed you.
lots of hugs
D.
You blog is amazing and such a motivation for frugal,healthy living. Thanks for sharing.
Georgia